Petition to overturn Michigan's emergency manager law would have impact in Flint

FLINT, Michigan -- Attorney General Bill Schuette today
said petitions filed against Michigan's emergency manager act would
revert the law to its older, less-powerful version if signatures are
certified by elections workers.

Michael Brown, Flint's emergency manager appointed in November, said the petitions and the ruling might not affect the changes to city finances he plans to have in place by the end of March.

A contingent of Flint residents is part of a statewide coalition that
turned in petitions Wednesday to put the referendum on Michigan's
emergency manager law on the ballot.

There were 226,000 petition signatures turned in today to force a
referendum on the law in the November election, according to the group seeking to
repeal the law.

If state elections workers certify 161,305 of those signatures, the law
enacted last year would be suspended until voters weigh in.

If the signatures are certified, the act would revert to its former
version, Public Act 72, until the vote in November. PA 72 doesn't allow
emergency managers as many powers as the new law does.

“If the petitioners achieve the proper certification, Public Act 4 will
be suspended pending the outcome of the referendum vote in November and
the previous state law governing emergency financial managers, Public
Act 72 of 1990, will govern in the interim,” said
Schuette in a news release.

Brown said his administration is on schedule to address labor union
contracts, finish a deficit-elimination plan and craft the 2013 budget
by the end of March.

"We're on target where we want to be," he said.

Certifying the signatures could take up to 60 days, so Brown said his administration isn't under any pressure.

"We've been preparing for three months now," said Brown, who has
declined to give details about the labor contract proposals. "We’re not
in a rush mode."

Brown said it's still not clear what all the repercussions will be if
the signatures are certified, such as whether he would have to be sworn
in again or reappointed under the old version of the law.

"We're just going to keep the ball rolling," he said. "This thing will
play out like it will and we're just going to keep moving forward."

The group Stand Up for Democracy collected the signatures in its effort to overturn Public Act 4.

The Board of State Canvassers has 60 days to canvass the petitions and certify whether they meet the requirements of state law.

"These signatures are a win for the people of our state to show
Legislative Republicans that Michiganders do not tolerate extreme
breaches of power by their government," said House Democratic Leader
Richard Hammel, D-Mt. Morris Township, in a news release.

"Our
caucus has heard numerous complaints about this law from residents and
have consistently fought against the seizing of local control by the
governor's administration."

Paul Jordan, a former Flint school board member, is part of a group that
filed a lawsuit against Gov. Rick Snyder and state Treasurer Andy
Dillon, saying the emergency manager law violates the Michigan
Constitution.

Jordan said he's pleased with today's announcement, as reverting to
Public Act 72 would strip Brown of some powers, like the power to
suspend certain elements of the city charter, enact and rescind some
ordinances and the ability to liquidate city assets.

Jordan also points out Brown hasn't come close to using many of the more-extreme powers available under Public Act 4.

"I don't think the guy has been comfortable with the dictatorial powers that the law has given him," Jordan said.

But reverting to an older version of the law doesn't solve the state's problems, Jordan said.

"What I would really like is, I would like us to rethink the way we fund city services as a state."